Infusing storytelling and creativity into corporate events

By Chris Rhodes, creative director of UK-based agency, Experience Events: We’re in the business of making memories. Events may take months or years of preparation and then ‘poof’ it’s over. The derig happens and, if done properly, they’ll be no trace it ever happened. The only thing left is the memory your audience takes home. Your event might be in its premiere or 20th year, the question remains: how can you create the right environment for those memories to germinate and become the buzz of the industry? Pre-event Take time to brief your agency or include them in a brief writing workshop to pinpoint your event’s exact purpose. What’s the message? What are we celebrating? Consider your brief carefully, as you want to inspire your agency so they can dazzle you in return, as a bad brief will equal a bad response. Don’t overlook your event branding, after all, you’d consult a professional if you were rebranding your business, so your event deserves the same respect. Get it right and your agency will have beautiful assets to play with. Get it wrong and watch in horror as the bad branding is enlarged onto a 50m LED wall. Once you have an amazing event brand, it’s time to start telling your story. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to build intrigue and momentum for your event. Secret Cinema are brilliant at this, taking inspiration from the film they are screening and then designing a world of periphery content that sets the tone and builds excitement before the event itself, from coded messages on social media to pop-up shops that sell film inspired fancy dress outfits for their audience to wear. Some events are blessed with a rich folio of assets for your agency to be inspired by (such as blockbuster movies). That may not always be the case for more traditional B2B events but that doesn’t mean you can’t play along. Empower your agency to think of a purposeful story and let them bring it to life for you. Avoid doing things flippantly, or because they’re the newest trend. A flash mob won’t resonate if doesn’t underpin a story that reinforces your theme or brand. Give it purpose and it will add to the bigger picture of making something memorable. The day itself To provide the VIP experience your audience wants, you must invest in process and solve the mundane tasks like registration with stylish and considered solutions. Don’t forget the basics, from clean loos with products that reinforce your values to canapés that feel appropriate. Details matter. Your wayfinding and venue graphics will be on point because your event branding is stunning. Your brand activations have been designed with purpose that reinforce your theme or messaging. The merchandise looks great and underpins your message. Now think about the flow of your guests. What order will they experience things? What visual tricks, audio soundscapes or scent can help form memories? Don’t worry if your audience has different experiences. It makes the post-event chat more interesting: “Did you see X?”  “No! But I saw Y and it was mind-blowing”. This trick keeps the conversations going long after the curtain falls. Depending upon your event, it may culminate with your audience staring at a big screen, so throw away the PowerPoint and invest in design time to create stunning (on brand and with purpose) content. Make sure your speakers are well rehearsed and don’t skimp on production and professionals to run your show. Then sit back and observe as your audience smiles, laughs and learns. Watch those memories being formed; if you’ve done your job properly, you’ll have created something they’ll carry with them forever. With an extensive background in graphic and spatial design and over 20 years’ experience in the events industry, Chris Rhodes knows how to bring brands to life, both in the physical and digital form. Chris has spearheaded the creative process on multi-layered immersive experiences, conferences and award shows across the globe for some of the world’s biggest companies including Loreal, Amazon and Meta.